Efficacy of used coffee grounds as larvicide against Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1894) and Ae. aegypti Linné, 1762 (Diptera: Culicidae)

Abstract

Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti are two synanthropic, anthropophilic container-breeding mosquitoes. These species are very annoying, but are also vectors of dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, Zika, and Usutu viruses, and other pathogens. Because these mosquitoes breed very close to humans, cheap homemade methods, as alternatives to commercial insecticides, could be important for their control. Coffee being a very common beverage, the grounds extracted from used coffee capsules have been tested for their larvicidal efficacy. The grounds were extracted with either 30 ml or 70 ml of 65-70 °C water. The content of one capsule was used as a unit dose to treat the quantity of water contained in a medium sized flowerpot tray. The test provided a clear indication that at this dosage, the used coffee capsules were completely ineffective at killing the larvae of Aedes species, so this method cannot be suggested to control these mosquitoes.